Container closure for a container

ABSTRACT

An aspect of the invention provides a container closure for a container comprising a body portion having a first end configured for attachment to a container and a second end configured to allow content of the container to exit the container closure, a reservoir positioned within the body portion between the first and second ends thereof and an actuable seal that is moveable between a first configuration in which the reservoir is sealed and a second configuration in which the actuable seal is moved in the direction of the second end of the body portion to create a gap between the actuable seal and second end of the body portion, wherein the actuable seal is moveable between the first configuration and second configuration by a plunger extending from the first end of the body portion to the second end of the body portion and wherein the actuable seal engages a surface of the reservoir when in the first configuration.

FIELD

The present invention relates to a container closure for a container and more particularly to a closure for a drinks bottle.

BACKGROUND

Standard drinks bottles comprise a base at one end upon which the drinks bottle is supported and a neck at the other end. The neck is typically threaded to receive a cap for closure of the drinks bottle. The neck of the drinks bottle tends to comprise a male thread and the cap tends to comprise a female thread that is cooperable with the male thread of the drinks bottle.

Certain types of beverage include a base liquid and an additive that is added to the base liquid at the point of consumption. Such beverages can include vitamin and protein drinks and medication, for example. Mixing of the additive into the base liquid at the point of filling the bottle, or before, can result in degradation of the additive and/or separation from the base liquid. A number of bottle caps have been developed to counter this.

In particular, US2004/0155061 discloses a bottle cap for closure of a drinks bottle. As is standard in the art, the bottle cap comprises a female thread for cooperation with the male thread of the drinks bottle neck. The bottle cap further comprises a reservoir that contains an additive and is sealed by a closure film at the lower end thereof. The upper end of the cap comprises a plunger that is moveable from a first position in which a piercer is positioned within the reservoir and a second position in which the plunger is pushed downward to force the piercer through the closure film. In such an example, one the closure film is pierced, the additive contents of the reservoir are mixed with the base liquid of the drinks bottle. The user is instructed to shake the drinks bottle to thoroughly mix the additive contents with the base liquid and consume the beverage at that time or within a defined period of time.

Closure films in the prior art are typically formed from a very thin foil material and consequently are easy to pierce. In one respect this is advantageous to make it easy for the piercer to penetrate the closure film. On the other hand, if the drinks bottle is dropped or otherwise impacted, the resulting forces may result in the piercer inadvertently penetrating the closure film and thus spoiling the beverage prior to consumption. It has also been observed that closure films of the prior art do not always pierce in the intended manner. This can lead to content of the reservoir becoming stuck in the region of the closure film and not mixing with the contents of the container.

It is against the foregoing background that the present invention has arisen.

SUMMARY

Briefly described, the present invention comprises a container closure for a container with a reservoir that, when the container closure is assembled to the container, seals the contents of the reservoir from the contents of the container when the container is in a first configuration and allows the contents of the respective receptacles to mix when the container closure is in a second configuration.

One aspect of the invention is directed to a container closure for a container comprising a body portion having a first end configured for attachment to a container and a second end configured to allow content of the container to exit the container closure, a reservoir positioned within the body portion between the first and second ends thereof and an actuable seal that is moveable between a first configuration in which the reservoir is sealed and a second configuration in which the actuable seal is moved in the direction of the second end of the body portion to create a gap between the actuable seal and second end of the body portion, wherein the actuable seal is moveable between the first configuration and second configuration by a plunger extending from the first end of the body portion to the second end of the body portion and wherein the actuable seal engages a surface of the reservoir when in the first configuration.

Container closures in the prior art use a thin seal, typically a foil seal that is penetratable by a piercing element. Such a construction is fragile and easy to pierce by design but a drawback of this is that the seal can be prone to premature failure and consequential spoiling of the product. The present invention addresses such drawbacks by providing a robust and reliable seal that is not subject to premature failure in the same way as the prior art. As the seal is a part of, or connected to, the plunger, the seal thus moves with the plunger. This configuration ensures that there is no element of the container closure that is able to penetrate the seal during storage and transit.

In one embodiment, the actuable seal and plunger define a single, unitary component.

Providing a seal and plunger that are formed from a single, unitary component reduces the number of components required in the container closure. This has the beneficial effect of reducing tooling cost, minimising assembly time and mitigating the risk of component failure.

In one embodiment, the actuable seal and plunger define separate components.

In one embodiment, the actuable seal comprises a well for receiving a part of the plunger and either the well or the plunger comprises a projection cooperable with a detent in the other of the well or plunger.

Such a configuration provides a simple, snap-fit way of assembling the plunger and actuable seal when presented as separate components.

In one embodiment, the reservoir comprises an internal annular surface and the actuable seal comprises an external annular surface such that a sealing arrangement is defined therebetween when the actuable seal is in the first configuration.

This arrangement advantageously provides a friction seal between the actuable seal and internal annular surface of the reservoir.

In one embodiment, the second end of the body portion comprises an abutment surface and the actuable seal comprises an annular projection extending perpendicular to a longitudinal axis defined by the container closure such that the annular projection abuts the abutment surface when the actuable seal is in the first configuration.

This arrangement provides two main benefits: i) the engagement between the actuable seal and abutment surface prevents the actuable seal from being inserted into the reservoir completely by virtue of providing a hard stop therebetween; and ii) the engagement between the actuable seal and abutment surface provides a secondary seal for the reservoir.

In one embodiment, the container closure further comprises a mouthpiece at the first end of the body portion, the mouthpiece receiving a part of the plunger such that when the actuable seal is in the first configuration a part of the plunger protrudes upwardly from the mouthpiece and is depressed by a user when the actuable seal is moved from the first configuration to the second configuration.

In one embodiment, the mouthpiece surrounds a hollow shaft extending upwardly from the reservoir and the hollow shaft defines a tube to receive a part of the plunger such that the plunger is moved substantially longitudinally with respect to the longitudinal axis of the container closure when the actuable seal is moved from the first configuration to the second configuration.

The hollow shaft acts as a guide when the plunger is depressed to break the seal between the actuable seal and the reservoir/body portion of the container closure. When the plunger is depressed the applied force is thus directed downwardly to ensure that the actuable seal follows the longitudinal axis of the container closure to reliably move out of engagement with the internal annular surface of the reservoir and abutment surface.

In one embodiment, the plunger comprises an annular projection that is cooperable with an internal surface of the hollow shaft to define a seal therebetween.

The annular projection of the plunger provides a seal between the reservoir and the second end of the body portion. This is important to ensure that no reservoir content is permitted to exit the container closure through the mouthpiece or otherwise at the second of the body portion.

In one embodiment, the actuable seal is profiled to define an obtuse angle between the actuable seal and the plunger.

An obtuse angle between the actuable seal and plunger advantageously reduces the amount of content that might become stuck in the reservoir or on the actuable seal if an acute angle were defined therebetween.

Another aspect of the invention is directed to a container comprising a body portion having a first end upon which the container is supported and a second end defining attachment means for attachment of a container closure; and a container closure for a container comprising a body portion having a first end configured for attachment to a container and a second end configured to allow content of the container to exit the container closure, a reservoir positioned within the body portion between the first and second ends thereof and an actuable seal that is moveable between a first configuration in which the reservoir is sealed and a second configuration in which the actuable seal is moved in the direction of the second end of the body portion to create a gap between the actuable seal and second end of the body portion, wherein the actuable seal is moveable between the first configuration and second configuration by a plunger extending from the first end of the body portion to the second end of the body portion and wherein the actuable seal engages a surface of the reservoir when in the first configuration.

Another aspect of the invention provides a method of assembling a container closure, the method comprising: providing a container closure for a container comprising a body portion having a first end configured for attachment to a container and a second end configured to allow content of the container to exit the container closure, a reservoir positioned within the body portion between the first and second ends thereof and an actuable seal that is moveable between a first configuration in which the reservoir is sealed and a second configuration in which the actuable seal is moved in the direction of the second end of the body portion to create a gap between the actuable seal and second end of the body portion, wherein the actuable seal is moveable between the first configuration and second configuration by a plunger extending from the first end of the body portion to the second end of the body portion and wherein the actuable seal engages a surface of the reservoir when in the first configuration.; filling the reservoir with content and inserting the seal into the reservoir from the first end of the body portion until the seal makes contact with an abutment surface of the body portion, wherein the seal defines two sealing points: i) between the perimeter of the seal and an internal surface of the reservoir; and ii) between an engagement surface of the seal and the abutment surface of the body portion.

FIGURES

The accompanying figures, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows an isometric view of a container closure according to aspects and embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of a container closure for a container according to a first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of a container closure for a container according to a second embodiment of the invention.

BACKGROUND

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the invention to those embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a container closure 10, 100 comprises a body portion 14 that has a first end 14 a configured for attachment to a container and a second end 14 b configured to allow content of the container to exit the container closure 10, 100 through a mouthpiece 16. As will be described further below, a plunger 26 protrudes from the mouthpiece 16 The container closure 10, 100 is attachable to a container 12 (as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 ) by way of a cooperatively engaging fixing, i.e. a thread. The container 12 comprises a male thread 20 on its neck and the container closure 10, 100 comprises a female thread 18 at the first end 14 a of the body portion 14.

Referring to FIG. 2 , a first embodiment of a container closure 10 comprises a reservoir 22 within which content can be contained. The reservoir 22 is positioned within the body portion 14 of the container closure and is sealed by an actuable seal 24 that maintains a seal between the content of the reservoir 22 and the contents of the container 12. The actuable seal 24 is attached to the plunger 26 that extends from the first end 14 a of the body portion 14 to the second end 14 b thereof.

Referring to FIG. 3 , a second embodiment of a container closure 100 comprises all of the features of the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 and differs only in that the actuable seal 24 and plunger 26 define a unitary component.

In each embodiment, a cap 28 is provided to hygienically cover the mouthpiece 16 during storage and transit. The cap 28 is shown as a flip cap in the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 but it will appreciated that any type of cap 28 known in the art may be used in combination with the illustrated embodiments. The cap 28 is configured to provide a gap between the plunger 26 when the actuable seal 24 is in the first configuration. The gap prevents inadvertent depression of the plunger 26. The plunger 26 may also be provided with means to prevent inadvertent depression. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the plunger 26 comprises at least one outwardly facing projection 30 (two are shown) along its length. The second end 14 a, of the body portion 14 comprises at least one detent 32 (two are shown) that is cooperable with the outwardly facing projection 30 of the plunger 26. Such a configuration requires a degree of downward force to move the plunger 26 out of engagement with the body portion 14 thus reducing the possibility of inadvertent depression of the plunger 26.

In use and to allow the content of the reservoir 22 to mix with the content of the container 12, a user is required to depress the plunger 26 and thus displace the actuable seal 24 in a downwards manner to create a gap between the body portion 14 and actuable seal 24. The action of shaking the container 12 causes the contents of the container 12 to mix with the contents of the reservoir 22.

During manufacture, the mouthpiece 16 is first assembled to the body portion 14 by positioning over the second end 14 b of the body portion 14 and pressing down until in the correct position. The cap is then assembled to the body portion 14 to cover the mouthpiece 16. The container closure 10 is inverted to expose the reservoir 22 to enable filling of the reservoir 22 with content. Once the reservoir 22 has been filled with content, the actuable seal 24 is assembled. As the actuable seal 24 and plunger 26 are distinct components in the first embodiment, they are assembled through two separate actions. The actuable seal 24 is first assembled to the plunger 26 by press or snap fitting together. The depressable button 26 b of the plunger 26 is then inserted into the internal guide channel from the direction of the first end 12 a of the body portion 12 of the container closure 10 until the abutment surface of the actuable seal 24 moves into contact with a surface of the body portion 12. The perimeter of the actuable seal 24 engages the internal surface of the reservoir 22 to provide a two-point seal. For the second embodiment where the actuable seal 24 and plunger 26 define a unitary components, the one-piece component is simply inserted into the guide channel as described above.

Where possible, common features illustrated in the figures are designated with the same reference numeral for consistency.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilise the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents. 

1. A container closure for a container comprising a body portion having a first end configured for attachment to a container and a second end configured to allow content of the container to exit the container closure, a reservoir positioned within the body portion between the first and second ends thereof and an actuable seal that is moveable between a first configuration in which the reservoir is sealed and a second configuration in which the actuable seal is moved in the direction of the second end of the body portion to create a gap between the actuable seal and second end of the body portion, wherein the actuable seal is moveable between the first configuration and second configuration by a plunger extending from the first end of the body portion to the second end of the body portion and wherein the actuable seal engages a surface of the reservoir when in the first configuration.
 2. A container closure for a container according to claim 1, wherein the actuable seal and plunger define a single, unitary component.
 3. A container closure for a container according to claim 1, wherein the actuable seal and plunger define separate components.
 4. A container closure for a container according to claim 3, wherein the actuable seal comprises a well for receiving a part of the plunger and either the well or the plunger comprises a projection cooperable with a detent in the other of the well or plunger.
 5. A container closure for a container according to claim 1, wherein the reservoir comprises an internal annular surface and the actuable seal comprises an external annular surface such that a sealing arrangement is defined therebetween when the actuable seal is in the first configuration.
 6. A container closure for a container according to claim 5, wherein the second end of the body portion comprises an abutment surface and the actuable seal comprises an annular projection extending perpendicular to a longitudinal axis defined by the container closure such that the annular projection abuts the abutment surface when the actuable seal is in the first configuration.
 7. A container closure for a container according to claim 6 further comprising a mouthpiece at the first end of the body portion, the mouthpiece receiving a part of the plunger such that when the actuable seal is in the first configuration a part of the plunger protrudes upwardly from the mouthpiece and is depressed by a user when the actuable seal is moved from the first configuration to the second configuration.
 8. A container closure for a container according to claim 8, wherein the mouthpiece surrounds a hollow shaft extending upwardly from the reservoir and the hollow shaft defines a tube to receive a part of the plunger such that the plunger is moved substantially longitudinally with respect to the longitudinal axis of the container closure when the actuable seal is moved from the first configuration to the second configuration.
 9. A container closure for a container according to claim 8, wherein the plunger comprises an annular projection that is cooperable with an internal surface of the hollow shaft to define a seal therebetween.
 10. A container closure for a container according to claim 5, wherein the actuable seal is profiled to define an obtuse angle between the actuable seal and the plunger.
 11. A container comprising a body portion having a first end upon which the container is supported and a second end defining attachment means for attachment of a container closure; and a container closure according to claim
 1. 12. A method of assembling a container closure, the method comprising: providing a container closure according to claim 1; filling the reservoir with content and inserting the seal into the reservoir from the first end of the body portion until the seal makes contact with an abutment surface of the body portion, wherein the seal defines two sealing points: i) between the perimeter of the seal and an internal surface of the reservoir; and ii) between an engagement surface of the seal and the abutment surface of the body portion. 